| Show MILLIONAIRES NEGRO NEIGHBOR MOVE BORGE is not the kind of ofa ofa a mH naJ that one would pick out as likely to tA choose an humble negro for a an aur anar n ur nar ar neighbor and yet that Is Just what bo h ft Ii 1 done At east it may ho be supposed that he has hag such preference from tho fact that within tan ti minutes walk of ot his pIs famous estate at Is 1 C stands tho the humble cabin of oZ an old negro ne o Charles C Collins Is the man who has tho the honor of ot figuring as nearest ne rest neighbor He owns a few acres of ot land that is cut Ut out of ot the estate as a tailor would ell cli out a small rectangle from a bolt of ot cloth The old negro taking his cue from his millionaire neighbor calls his miniature plantation his estate He thinks tho tumbledown cabin and the bit of ot a garden patch surrounding It are arc no loss less worthy of that dignity than is little principality When Whon the New Now York millionaire invaded the tho Ashe district a decade ago the tho old negros neSTos sparse acres were included iu Ia 1 the tho t o big tract of land that was to be tho the site of ot Biltmore But Collins ap appeared to bo be Indifferent selling his estate He flirted with the tho millions for some somo sometime sometime time expecting at last to get set a fabulous price for tor fortha tho tha few acre acre tract that wedged itself into the topography of Biltmore agent made several offers otters for tho the Collins property but the negro kept putting his price up and up to suit the occasion until at last all alt negotiations were cut off ort by order ardor of tho the millionaire himself But now Collins Is anxious to sell his estate His change chanso of heart Is by no means because bec use ho he objects to having Mr Vanderbilt for his closest neighbor On the contrary he regards the tho million millionaire millIonaire aire alre as a most estimable person and says he never thinks of cf locking up his poultry house at night be because because because cause of the presence of at Mr VanderbIlt and his friends frIend Ho stoutly maintains that there thero has never neier been the slightest friction between betten himself and his hisrich hisrich hisrich rich neighbor nel since sinco the time ten years ago when he found himself rubbing elbows with the He says that even the breaking off of negotiations negotiations Lions for the purchase of ot his estate es te in no way strained the relations existing between himself and Mr ir Yand Although he hI has never become at with he says that it must not ot be assumed that due due to any excessive ex s sIvo sive sivo pride of ancestry anc str on Us own part but rather ratherS I S e S SS A r because of ot a lack of or time and inclination to 0 establish lish new friendship at hH his time of life Ute particularly when his neighbor happens haRpens a car carpetbagger carpetbagger carpetbagger The real reason Collins has changed his mind and determined to tp dispose c of othe the segment of a land that Impudently projects Itself its lt toward the front fr nt door of Biltmore Is because of the tho disfranchisement of ot the negroes In Carolina He has his own opinion about such matters m but thinks that State a rather unhealthy climate In which to promulgate them He pays an annual a tax of 30 on his estate and und opines that this fact should entitle him to the right of ot franchise Under these discouraging conditions Collins Coffins has decided to sell soU out to o the highest bidder although he lle Is not at n t so anxious to sever sever his neighborly rela relations relations relations with Mr Ut as a to t incline him to make any considerable property sacrifice He was a slave slav e once and well remembers ante days Ho He recalls the fact that Philadelphia was one of the th chief harbors slaves before belore the days of ot emancipation With that historic fact In mind he has decided ed to move to this city and try to establish social relations quite as desirable as those afforded by Mr Vanderbilt Va |
